A Baja Kayaking Naturalist’s Book Shelf

Brusca, Richard. 1980. Common Intertidal Invertebrates of the Gulf of California. 2nd ed. Univ. of Arizona Press. (Quite large, but a must for serious naturalists; has most of the species seen tidepooling or snorkeling.)

Carey, Robin. 1989. Baja Journey: Reveries of a Sea-Kayaker. Texas A&M Univ. (The experiences of a novice paddler in prose.)

Franz, Carl. 1981. The People’s Guide to Backpacking, Boating & Camping in Mexico. John Muir Pub. (Down-to-earth advice and fun reading. Great to have if you’ll be in Mexico for extended periods.)

Gotshall, Daniel. 1988. Marine Animals of Baja California: A Guide to the Common Fishes and Invertebrates. 2nd ed. Sea Challengers. (Slim, handy reference with color photos and little text; a must for snorkelers.)

Stebbins, Robert. 1985. Field guide to western reptiles and amphibians. Houghton Mifflin Co. (Best for the topic.)

Steinbeck, John. 1941. The log from the Sea of Cortez. Viking Press. (Somewhat slow reading at times but usually interesting from an historical standpoint; considered to be a classic natural history essay.)

Thomson, Donald. 1976. Gulf of California fishwatcher’s guide. Golden Puffer Press. (Line drawings only; the best guide for snorkelers with a more intense interest in fishes.)

Zwinger, Ann. 1983. A desert country near the sea: a natural history of the Cape Region of Baja California. Univ. of Arizona Press. (Very interesting and well-written but mainly concerns area south of Loreto.)

Charts for Baja and the Sea of Cortez

These are obtainable from various map or nautical shops and online resources. Ask for US Defense Mapping Agency charts 21120, 21081, 21011, 21125, or 21014, depending on the area you will be exploring; or NOAA chart #21141. The British Admiralty and Mexico Carta Nautica have also published charts of the region.

If you are interested in seeing larger versions of the Baja kayak route maps we show on our detailed Mexico itinerary pages, you can visit our map collection page. Just click the tab labeled “maps” at the top of this page. The larger pdf versions can also be printed.

An All-purpose Sea Kayaking Library

Arnold, D. 1986. Tides and currents. Fernhurst Books.

Bascom, W. 1964. Waves and beaches. Anchor.

Brower, K. 1973. The Starship and the Canoe. (Fascinating story of George Dyson’s epic kayaking journeys in the Pacific Northwest. Its a great adventure biography that reads like a novel and has inspired more people to try sea kayaking than any other book.)

Mingan Island Cetacean Study invites you to participate in their ecological studies of great whales in Baja’s Sea of Cortez. Their main focus is blue whales and they have an Adopt-a-Blue Whale program to help fund their work. You can adopt a blue whale you’ve actually seen on one of our kayaking trips in Baja and the Sea of Cortez.